Richard Maggs is our resident cooking doctor in the UK and abroad.
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Aga
Cooking Doctor |
| Q. can you cook with pottery or ceramic in the ovens and on the top
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A. USING POTTERY AND CERAMICS IN AN AGA
Whilst Aga do not specifically recommend any particular type of pottery or ceramic cookware for use on the Aga, certainly earthenware and other pottery and ceramic casseroles that are designed for cooking stews and casseroles in an oven may be used. However, I would not suggest you use them on the Aga hotplates as they could crack. Once you have completed the early stages, e.g. browned meat in batches in a frying pan, softened onions and garlic etc., take your assembled recipe in the casserole, place on a grid shelf on the floor of the Roasting Oven for at least 30-40 minutes, to bring the contents slowly to a simmer. Do not place directly on the floor of the oven as this is surface works as a further hotplate to extend the cooker's hotplate capacity. As soon as simmering point has been reached, cover and transfer to the Simmering Oven to continue cooking in its gently persistent heat until tender, this will vary from 1˝ – 3 hours for most recipes, depending on the main ingredient.
The great advantage of Aga cast iron casseroles, of which I am a great fan, is that they can be used on the hotplates to brown meat, etc., and once the other ingredients and cooking liquids have been added, they can be quickly brought to simmering point on the top of the cooker before being transferred to the Simmering Oven. I chose the enamelled ones because they are smart enough to send to table for family and informal entertaining. They also all feature flat lids, so other pans can be stacked on top of them in the Simmering Oven, for example when steaming vegetables and potatoes. Once pot recipes certainly save on the hassle of having to wash up separate sauté or frying pans, cooking pots and then serving dishes.
A special new oven-to-table range of Port Meirion Aga cookware is also available from Aga, with different pieces cleverly nesting within each other for really compact storage, and the set includes some items which even cleverly fit onto the Aga oven runners. They have also been especially developed so that they are safe to use on all Aga hotplates and the floor of the Roasting Oven. Amazingly their thermal shock resistance means you can even place items full of chilled or frozen food onto the hotplates or into the ovens straight from the refrigerator or freezer.
I hope that helps.
Best wishes
Richard Maggs
The Aga Cookery Doctor
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